Sherry

Question 1

Jerez

3 soil types

Answer 1

• albariza
• barros
• arenas

Question 2

pagos

Answer 2

vineyards

Question 3

Jerez

Largest pago (vineyard)

Answer 3

Macharnudo

• over 2000 acres

Question 4

Sherry

3 authorized white grapes

Answer 4

• Palomino (Listan)
• Pedro Ximinez (PX)
• Moscatel (Muscat of Alexandria)

Question 5

Palomino

a.k.a.

Answer 5

Listan

Question 6

Palomino

Answer 6

Palomino

• Lackluster, low-acid table wines
• Appx 95% of vineyard acreage in Jerez

Question 7

Palomino

2 sub-varieties

Answer 7

• Palomino Fino - more prevalent, prized for higher yields and disease resistance
• Palomino de Jerez

Question 8

Moscatel

Preferred soil type

Answer 8

Moscatel is mostly planted on Arenas soils

• Near Chiponia

Question 9

soleo

Answer 9

soleo

• For 1 to 3 weeks, grape bunches (Moscatel, Pedro Ximenez) are dried in the sun on esparto grass mats prior to pressing
  
  • Palomino may also be sunned, but rarely longer than 24 hours and often not at all

Question 10

Jerez

Harvest

Answer 10

• August
• Mostly by machine

Question 11

vara

Answer 11

stick

Question 12

pulgar

Answer 12

thumb

Question 13

vara y pulgar

Answer 13

vara y pulgar

• Common traditional training method in which growers prune alternate spurs each year
• One year’s vara (stick) will be pruned back after harvest to become the following year’s pulgar (thumb)

Question 14

Liters of juice that may be pressed from 100 kg of grapes

Answer 14

72.5 liters juice / 100 kg of grapes

Question 15

Jerez Superior

max yields

Answer 15

80 hl/ha - Jerez Superior

vs 100 hl/ha everywhere else

Question 16

zapatos de pisar

Answer 16

zapatos de pisar - cowhide boots w/ angled nails on the soles, worn by pisadores (laborers) to crush and press grapes

Question 17

pisadores

Answer 17

pisadores - laborers, who would traditionally crush and press the grapes under their feet

Question 18

Must (mosto de yema)

3 different parts of the pressed juice

Answer 18

• primera yema - free-run juice, accounting for 60-70% of the total mosto de yema
• segundo yema - press wine
• mosto prensa - poorer quality press wine for distillation

Question 19

Fermentation

2 stages

Answer 19

• tumultuous fermentation - hot and vigorous initial phase lasting up to a week
• lenta - slow fermentation - in which high temperatures subside and any remaining sugar in the wine is converted to alcohol over a period of weeks

Question 20

Wines classified as palo are in tanks marked with a what?

Answer 20

vertical slash

Question 21

Wines classified as gordura are in tanks marked with a what?

Answer 21

circle

Question 22

Wines marked as palo are fortified to what % abv?

Answer 22

15 - 15.5% abv

• Destined to become more delicate Fino or Manzanilla styles

Question 23

Wines marked as gordura are fortified to what % abv?

Answer 23

17 - 18% abv

• High level of alchohol that will not permit the growth of flor, and will become Oloroso Sherries

Question 24

En Rama Sherry

Answer 24

Biologically aged Sherry bottled directly from cask without filtration

Question 25

River that sits in the northwestern part of Jerez

Answer 25

Guadalquivir

• Guadallete River in the center of the region near the town of Cadiz

Question 26

Sherry

2 DO zones

Answer 26

• Jerez-Xérès-Sherry
• Manzanilla-Sanlúcar de Barrameda

​* they share an identical production zone and similar production guidelines, but the latter must be aged in the seaside town of Sanlúcar de Barrameda

Question 27

Hot, dry wind that blows from the east, and intensifies the heat in Jerez

Answer 27

levante

• cooks the grapes on the vine during ripening
• vs poniente, humid Atlantic wind, which alternates with levante, and promotes the growth of flor

Question 28

Jerez

2 influential winds

Answer 28

• levante
  
  • ​From the east, hot, dry, intenifies heat, cooks the grapes on the vine during ripening
• poniente
  
  • ​Humid Atlantic, from the west, alternates with levante, and promotes the growth of flor

Question 29

albariza soil

Answer 29

albariza

• Chalky, porous, limestone-rich, brilliant white color
• Moisture-retentive, retains water from autumn and winter rains
• Friable structure, allows vine roots to penetrate deeply in search for water trapped beneath its baked, impermeable surface during the arid growing season
• Concentrated on the gentle slopes of Jerez Superior (80% of region’s vines), subregion btwn Sanlúcar de Barrameda and the Guadalete River
• Produces the best Sherry

Question 30

albariza soil

Benefits

Answer 30

albariza

• Moisture-retentive, retains water from autumn and winter rains
• Friable structure, allows vine roots to penetrate deeply in search for water trapped beneath its baked, impermeable surface during arid growing season

Question 31

Area with most concentration of albariza soils

Answer 31

• Jerez Superior - gentle slopes
• Sub-region btwn Sanlúcar de Barrameda and the Guadalete River (which flows into Bay of Cádiz, south of Jerez de la Frontera)

Question 32

Jerez

Region with most vines planted

Answer 32

Jerez Superior

• 80% of the appellation’s vines
• Sub-region btwn Sanlúcar de Barrameda and the Guadalete River

Question 33

Main area with most pagos (vineyards)

Answer 33

Jerez de la Frontera

• Inclunding vineyards Macharnudo, Añina, Carrascal

Question 34

Macharnudo

Size in acres

Answer 34

over 2000 acres

Question 35

barros soil

Answer 35

barros

• Higher proportion of clay
• Prominent in low-lying valleys

Question 36

Areas with most barros soils

Answer 36

barros

• Prominent in low-lying valleys
• Higher proportion of clay
• More difficult to work

Question 37

arenas soil

Answer 37

arenas

• Sandy soils
• Coastal areas

Question 38

Jerez

3 major vineyard sites

Answer 38

• Macharnudo (over 2000 acres, largest)
• Añina
• Carrascal

Question 39

Sobretablas

Answer 39

Sobretablas

• For wines that develop under flor, period of 6 months to a year, which the wines’ evolution may be redirected, and classified a 2nd time as one of the following:
  
  • Palma: Fine, delicate Sherry in which the flor has flourished, protecting the wine from oxidation. Such wines will generally develop as Fino styles.
  • Palma Cortada: A more robust Fino, which may eventually emerge as Amontillado.
  • Palo Cortado: A rarity. Although flor is still present, the wine’s richness leads the cellar master to redirect the wine toward an oxidative aging path. The wine will be fortified after Sobretablas to at least 17% abv, destroying the veil of flor that protects it from oxygen.
  • Raya: Despite its initial promise, flor growth is anemic, or the protective yeast has died completely. The wine’s robust character is reinforced by further fortification to 17-18%, and the wine emerges from Sobretablas as an Oloroso.
  • Dos Rayas: The wine’s flor has disappeared, but its character is rough and coarse. Characterized by high levels of volatile acidity, these wines are either blended and sweetened for lower quality Sherry or removed from the Sherry-making process, often finding new life as Sherry vinegar.